Alliance Theatre in Atlanta has nabbed the world premiere of The Color Purple, the musical adaptation of the well-known book and flm, opening the company's 2004-05 season.

The Broadway-bound staging based on Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel will be produced by the Alliance Theatre, by special arrangement with Creative Battery and Scott Sanders Productions.

Chicago director Gary Griffin stages the work featuring a book by Pulitzer Prize winner Marsha Norman ('Night Mother) and music from pop songwriters Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray. The show will blend "dance with the sounds and rhythms of blues, gospel, jazz, swing, rural roots and African music," according to a release.

The story of "The Color Purple" centers on Celie, a teenager who endures insurmountable hardships within her own family and struggles to find her identity and love. Walker's characters convey a tale of hope, inspiration and personal triumph. The novel was adapted for the screen in 1985 under the direction of Steven Spielberg. The movie version starred Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover.

Tickets to The Color Purple at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, GA will be available by subscription only in March. For more information, call (404) 733-4600. Visit them on the web at www.alliancetheatre.org.